Christmas in Absaroka County

Review: Wyoming Sheriff Walt Longmire is featured in four short stories, nominally with a holiday theme but suitable to be read at any time of the year, in Christmas in Absaroka County by Craig Johnson.

The stories included here purport to show a "softer side" of Longmire, but readers of the mysteries in the series featuring this character already know he has a soft side, though it sometimes comes across as being pragmatic in the novels. All four stories are well done, all have a crime element associated with them, but only one — "Slick-Tongued Devil" — can properly be considered a crime story and, probably not coincidentally, it is the best of the four. The setup, the pacing, the twist and the resolution are all about pitch perfect here. The other three stories are more human-interest oriented, everyday characters put in not-so-everyday situations. Longmire's daughter Cady is featured in two of them, providing good balance and just the right amount of humor to the story.

All in all, a nice collection, one any fan of the series will want to have. And for those who haven't yet read any books in the series, it does provide for an apt introduction to the character.

Acknowledgment: Penguin Group provided an eARC of Christmas in Absaroka County for this review.